Bed frames which are adjustable in width to king size and which have a longitudinal center rail are well known in the art as exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 3,736,602. In such bed frames the longitudinal center rail functions to enable the use of two twin-size box springs or foundations positioned side by side on the frame with their inner edges supported by the center rail. It is also old in the bed frame art to provide a transverse center rail to increase the support surface and strength of the frame, U.S. Pat. No. 4,038,710 being illustrative. More generally stated, rectangular bed frames having not only end and side rails but also various configurations of center rails, transverse, longitudinal and diagonal, are old in the art, dating well back into the nineteenth century. Illustrative are U.S. Pat. Nos. 13,034; 930,340; and 1,478,937. To provide added support for bed frames it is also well known to use a greater number of legs than just the conventional four legs at the corners, some of the aforementioned patents being illustrative.
Where center rails which cross each other are used, it is desirable that the crossed rails lie in the same plane. This generally involves the use of a hub into which four rail sections are fitted, i.e. two rail sections to form one of the crossed rails and the other two rail sections to form the other of the crossed rails. But the use of a hub involves added expense, and this is particularly so where the bed frame is to be of adjustable width. That is, for the bed frame to be of adjustable width it is necessary that one of the crossed rails be of adjustable length by way of being formed of two rail members in telescoped relationship, and the best location for the telescoped portions of the rail members is at the center of the rail which, if a hub is used, is precisely where the hub is located.
Hence, whereas the prior art shows the use of longitudinal and transverse center rails and the use of more than just four support legs to provide a bed frame having added strength, and whereas the prior art shows it to be old to provide a bed frame of adjustable width by the use of rails which are of adjustable length by way of having telescoping portions, the prior art provides no solution to the problem of providing a bed frame which is adjustable in width even to king size, which is possessed of ample strength and support both at its periphery and in its center portions so as to be useful even for water beds which require massive strength to support the weight of the water, but yet which can be manufactured at low cost and can also be shipped or transported at low cost by way of being easily disassemblable to fit into a compact package for shipment or transport. The present invention provides such a bed frame.